Mowing-machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. F. HODGES. MOWING MAGHINE.

(No Mdel.) Y 3 sheets-sheet 2.

. P. P. HODGES.

MOWING MACHINE.

N0. 554,601. Patented Feb. Il, 1896.

6 fm if orze ff m/MW.

(No Model.) l 3 sheets-sheet 3.

P. F. HODGES.

f MOWING MAGHINE.

No. 554,601. Patented Feb. ll, 1896.

NiTE STATES ATENT OFFICE.

PLINY F. HQDGES, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

WiOWlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,601, dated February 11, 1896. Application fled October 28, 1895- Serial No. 567,075. (No model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, PLINY F. HoDGEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mowing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to mowing-machines.

A floating finger-bar adapted both to rock and to fold is conceded to be essential to a good mowing-machine. Heretofore in the standard machines now in general use these motions have usually been obtained by means of a construction involving a main frame pivoted to the truck-axle, a supplemental frame pivoted to the main frame, a tongue fixed to the main frame, and afinger-bar attached to the supplemental frame by means of two pivots at right angles to each other. This construction permitted the rocking and folding motions of the finger-bar; and in order to permit the necessary play for the proper action of the pitman under the rocking or angular motion of the finger-bar the pitman was connected to the crank-pin at its outer end and to the knife-head at its inner end by means of ball-and-socket or other loose joints. This old or standard construction is objectionable in two respects, to wit: First, in eXtra hard cutting or upon the finger-bar meeting an obstruction there is a tendencyT of the draft to lift the truck-wheel from the ground and diminish or reduce the traction of the truck-wheels at the very time when traction is most needed to drive the knife, and, second, the rocking or tilting of the fingerbar changes the relative angle of the pitmanpivots at the opposite ends of the same, with the result of increasing the friction from the knife and its driving mechanism, thereby adding to the draft and more rapidly wearing out the cutting apparatus.

The object of my invention is to overcome and remove the above defects or limitations, and at the same time to reduce the cost of construction, while preserving the folding and tilting movements of the finger-bar intact;

To this end my invention consists of the chiefly in right side elevation, but partly in section, on the lines /vand x2 x2 of Fig. l, looking inward. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine with some parts broken away. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 003 m3 of Fig. l, looking toward the front,with the truck-wheel positions indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the coupling cross tree or knuckle -joint between the tongue and the truck-frame raised to its highest point and the linger-bar partly folded. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the coupling-crosstree casting detached in plan View; and Fig. 7 is a detail, in perspective, showing one of the lugs detached which are used to connect the coupling cross-tree with the forward arms of the truck-frame.

The truck or cart wheels a are loose on the axle a and have driving connections therewith through the ordinary pawl-and-ratchet devices, the pawl-bearing disks of which only are shown at d2.

The truck-frame is composed of a main or rear section b, which is sleeved or pivoted on the truck-axle a', and a pair of forwardly-extended arms h rigid with the section Z9 at their rear ends and provided at their forward ends with split or divided bearing-lugs h2 for pivotally connecting the truck-frame to a coupling cross-tree c. The yoke or bearing parts of the split lugs b2 embrace the crosstree c,between suitable collars c form ed thereon, and the rearwardly-proj ectin g ends of the said lugs b2 embrace the forward ends of the frame-arms h and are rigidly secured thereto and to each other by bolts h3.

On the truck-axle a', outward of the framesection l), is loosely mounted a shiftable sprocket-wheel a3, which is subject to the action of a shipper-fork lever d4, Working through a cam-slot a5 in the frame-section h, as best shown in Fig. l. The hub of the sprocket a3 is provided with a half-clutch a IOO on its outer face, which co-operates with a half-clutch (1,7 on the hub of the outer pawldisk a2. By the shipper-lever a4 the sprocket a3 may be thrown in or out of gear with the driving connections to the truck-wheels at will.

A sprocketchain as (indicated in dotted lines only in Figs. 2 and 5) connects the driving-sprocket CL3 with a small sprocket a9, formed on the hub of a beveled-face multif plying-gear d10. The gear 0,10 engages a beveled pinion all on the crank-shaft (L12. The crank-pin connects by pitman als to the head of the knife al* for imparting the usual reciprocating motion thereto. The chain as is subject to the action of an automatic belttightener am.

The bearing c2 for the crankshaft am is formed on the outer end of the cross-tree c. The bearing for the small sprocket a" and the multiplying-gear am is afforded by a stud shaft c4, which extends through a housing c3, formed on the cross-tree c, and into the open outer end of the shaft-like portion of the said cross-tree c. XVhen thus seated, the studshaft c4 is pinned fast to the housing c3. The housing c3 is of the proper shape and size to inclose the lower parts of the knife-driving mechanism a9 al@ au, and serves to protect the same from dust and dirt.

The cross-trece has formed integral therewith, as shown, at its inner end, a pair of horns or depending' angularprojections c5, which together constitute the linger-bar bridge.

The linger-bar f is secured to the shoes in the customary way, and the inside shoe f is pivoted to the bridge by the horizontal pivots f2 connecting the saine with the horns or arms c5 of the cross-tree c. A bearing-plate f3 is fixed to the finger-bar, and is of such shape as to form a seat for the knife-bar, where it passes over the part of the iinger-bar fixed to the inside shoe f', as best shown in Fig. 2. This bearing-plate f3 is extended forward over the finger portion of the shoe, and serves instead of a ledger-plate at that point. The bearing-plate f3 being readily removable enables a new plate to be substituted, whenever required, under the wear and tear from the knife. The upper or hook-shaped guide f`1 for the knife-head is fixed to the fingerbar in the usual way.

A guard-rod f5 connects the forward end of the housing c3 with the forward member of the bridge-pivots f2, and serves to protect or guard the pitman alS from obstructions.

The draft-tongue g connects centrally with the cross-tree c by means of a divided or split lug r which embraces the cross tree between suitable collars c6 thereon. The divided members of the said split lug g' are bolted together and through the tongue by nutted bolts g2, suitably applied thereto. The draft-tongue g also connects with the cross-tree c by means of a brace-rod g3, made fast at its forward end to the tongue, and provided at its rear end with an eye, which engages over a reduced part c7 at the inner end of the cross-tree, and is heldin place thereon by a split pin, or in any other suitable way. The tongue lug or casting g and the bracebar g3, as described, serve to pivotally connect the draft-tongue g to the cross-tree c, with the effect of a long` bearing for the tongue. The tongue is provided with the usual doubletree or draft appliance g4 for the attachment of the horses or draft-animals.

W'ith the construction so far described, it must be obvious that the cross-tree c serves to couple the tongue and the cutting mechanism to the forward end of the truck-frame, with freedom for the independent pivotal movements of all of the said coupled parts. Otherwise stated, the iingenbar bridge and the bearings for the knife-driving mechanism are carried by the coupling cross-tree c, and will, of course, rock or tilt with the cross-tree. The tongue is free for pivotal motion on the cross-tree, and the finger-bar connects with the linger-bar bridge by pivots, which permit the ordinary folding action of the iin gcrbar. Hence with this construction the draft is applied entirely through the cross-tree c, the truck is dragged from the crosstrec and the cross-tree serves as a iioatin g or knuckle joint for permitting the necessary pivotal or rocking motion of the cutting mechanism. Hence, as the cart or truck is dragged from the crosstree, whenever extra hard cutting or an obstruction is met with the tendency of the draft will be to lift the cross-tree and cutting mechanism and throw additional weight or traction onto the truck-wheels, which is the action desired to meet the increased work on the knife. Moreover, inasmuch as the bearings for the knife-driving mechanism and the finger-bar bridge are both carried bythe coupling eross-tree c, the crank-pin and the knifehead joints to the pitman will sustain a constant relation under all `of the angular movements of the cutting mechanism. Plain pivots may therefore be used to connect the c1ankpin and the knife to the opposite ends of the pitman, and the friction on the knife from the driving mechanism is reduced to a minimum, so far as torsional strain is concerned. v

The bearings for the knife-driving mechanism and the finger-bar bridge have been shown as formed integral with the cross-tree c. This is a good arrangement, because all of the said parts may be cast together as a single piece; but it must be obvious that the action would be the same if the said bearings and the finger-bar bridge were made separate from the cross-tree c and pinned fast thereto. Again, it must be equally obvious that the cross-tree c, instead of being mounted for pivotal or rocking motion in the lugs b2 of the frame, might be rendered rigid with the main frame either by casting the same in one piece with the other sections of the main frame or IOO IIO

in any other way, and that the bearings for the knife-driving mechanism and the fingerbar bridge might be made separate from the cross-tree, but mounted thereon with freedom for rocking or pivotal motion. In other words, the said parts may take any suitable construction as long as the cross-tree c serves to couple the draft-tongue and the cutting mechanism to the forward end of the truckframe with freedom for the independent pivotal motion of all of the said coupled parts. The action peculiar to this radical improvement has been thus described before noting the arrangement of levers for tilting the finger-bar, folding the finger-bar, and raising the knuckle-joint, because these levers may take any suitable arrangement best adapted for the purpose.

For tilting the finger-bar, I have shown a lever-casting cS formed integral with the crosstree c, to which casting o8 a hand-lever a9 is bolted, provided with the ordinary springpawl device cw, the pawl of which works over a notch-quadrant g5, forming a part of the tongue lug-casting g. This construction permits the cross-tree c and the cutting mechanism to be rocked at will and latched in any desired angular adjustment to the drafttongue g. The iinger-piece of the spring-pawl device is provided with a link c, which may be engaged over the top of the lever c9 to hold up the pawl and permit the cutting mechanism to float or move with freedom for oscillating motion in thecutting action.

For raising and lowering the knuckle-joint or cross-tree and for folding the finger-bar I have shown a hand-lever h as pivoted to the lower end of a notch-quadrant h bolted to' lu g i cast integral with the inner member of the frame-arms b. The said lever h is provided with the ordinary spring-pawl device h2 for engagement with the notches of the quadrant h', and the said quadrant is formed with limiting stops or lugs at its opposite ends and with a smooth and unnotched portion forward of its center, as best shown in Fig. 2.

To the lower end of the lever h is fixed a forwardly-projecting arm h3, which connects rearward of its forward end by a link h with a fixed arm g formed integral with the tongue lug-casting g'. The forward extremity of the lever-arm h3 connects by a link h5 with the folding-lever h, which is pivoted to the crosstree, as shown at k7 in Fig. 4. The inner and lower end of the folding-lever h6 overreaches a cam-lugf6 on the inside shoe f for co-operation therewith to partially fold the fingerbar in the usual way. A thrust-rod hs is shown as connecting the lifting-lever 7L with the foot-lever h, which is pivoted to a lug hw, cast integral with the frame-piece b. lVith this arrangement of the lifting-lever and its connections it is obvious that the position of the draft-tongue relative to the forward end of the truck -frame may be varied at will through the parts h3, h4, and g6 for raising or lowering the coupling cross-tree cor knucklejoint into any desired position. For example, the same may be thrown from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 5, and in this lifting action on the knucklejoint the finger-bar will be folded upward from the .position shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4. In other words, the ordinary amount of folding motion may be given to the finger-bar which is required for turning corners and lifting the same over stones, stumps, and other obstructions. The folding of the finger-bar is completed by handin the usual way whenever it is desired to turn the same upward to its limit for transportation or travel on the road.

The seat-support la is shown as attached to a lug lo projecting rearward and upward from the frame-section h. The seat k2 therefore brings the rider into such a position in respect to the frame that his weight will tend to counterbalance the forward end of the frame and the parts carried by the coupling cross-tree c. The foot-lever 7L and the connections therefrom enable the driver to utilize his weight, as well as the power from his hands, on the lifting-lever h for raising and lowering the knuckle-joint.

The lifting-levers and their connections could, of course, be arranged in any other suitable way. In practice it would probably be found more advantageous to bring the fulcrum of the lifting-lever h directly over the truck-axle.

W hen it is desired to have the cutting apparatus ride or float with its weight carried chiefly by the shoes, the lifting-lever h will be set so that the spring-pawl thereof will ride over the unnotched portion of the quadrant 7L.

It will of course be understood that minor details of the construction shown and described might be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In respect to the coupling cross-tree c it should be further noted that the same always remains parallel with the truck-axle under the up and down movements thereof.

' It has already been noted that extra hard cutting or an obstruction when met by the finger-bar will raise the knuckle-joint or crosstree and throw increased weight onto the truck-wheels. This is directly contrary to the action, under like circumstances, on the old or standard construction. In the old or standard mower when the finger-bar meets an obstruction or the cutting becomes extra hard the shoes and supplemental frame become a fulcrum and lever upon which the tongue and the main frame attached to the truck-axle tend under the increased draft to lift the truck-wheels from the ground. Vith my improved construction the obstruction in-A creases the traction by the increased weight thrown onto the truck wheels when the knuckle-joint rises, and the shocks or jars from the obstruction are taken directly on the cross-tree and the pole without being transmitted to the truck-frame. Hence the truck- IOO IIO

frame may be made comparatively light. Then eXtra hard cutting is struck, the increased draft required to operate the knife will cause a corresponding increase of traetion on the truck-wheel.

From the foregoing statements it must be obvious that my invention constitutes a radical departure in frontcut mowing-machines, which has the effect of greatly improving the action, simplifying the construction, reducing the iirst cost, and adding to the durability of the machine.

It should be further noted that while the cross-tree c has been shown as continuous it would be possible to secure a floating and coupling joint with a cross-tree formed in dis continuous or separated sections. This would not give a construction which would be the full mechanical equivalent of the continuous cross-tree shown, but would be within the principle of my invention in broad point of view. The essential thing, broadly stated, is that the cross-tree or frame which carries the cutting apparatus shall wholly drag the truck instead of being propelled or partly propelled by the truck and that the oating, tilting7 and folding features of the cutting apparatus shall be retained intact.

that I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. In a front-cut mower, the combination with a truck, draft-tongue and cutting mechanism, of a single frame, pivoted to the truck axle, and a cross-tree, coupling the tongue and cutting mechanism to the forward end of said frame, with freedom for independent pivotal movement of all of said coupled parts, whereby the cutting mechanism is free for tilting motion, the truck is dragged from said coupling cross-tree and the traction on the truck-wheels will be increased when the cutting mechanism meets an obstruction or hard cutting, substantially as described.

2. In a front-cut mower, the combination with a truck and draft-tongue of a single frame pivoted to the trucleaxle, a rocking cross tree, pivotally connecting the drafttongue to the forward end of said frame, bearings for the knifedriving mechanism and a finger-bar bridge fixed to said cross-tree, and a finger-bar pivoted to said bridge, all for cooperative action substantially as described.

3. In a front-cut mower, the combination with a truck, draft-tongue and cutting mechanism, of a single frame pivoted to the truckaxle, a cross-tree, coupling the tongue and cutting mechanism to the forward end of said frame, with freedom for the independent pivotal movement of all of said coupled parts, and means for latching the cutting mechanism to the tongue in any desired angular adjustment, substantially as described.

4. In a front-cut mower, the combination with a truck, draft-tongue and cutting mechanism, of a single frame pivoted to the truck axle, a cross-tree coupling the tongue and cutting mechanism to the forward end of said frame, with freedom for the independent pivotal movement of all of said coupled parts, means for latching the cutting mechanism to the tongue, in any desired angular adjustment, and means for raising the coupled parts at their coupling or cross-tree knuckle-joint, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PLINY F. IIODGES. lVitnesses:

JAS. F. NVILLIAMsoN, C. F. KILGoRE. 

